Cancer patient Pete Grimes was unaware that he had won £9.1 million on the national lottery. He did not even realize that he had won for a week! It was not until Camelot launched a national appeal urging the person with the winning ticket to come forward. Having seen the Lottery's appeal, Pete was delighted to discover that he was the only competition prize winner. Pete was only contemplating getting a new car and to treat his family and pals to a holiday of a lifetime.

Unfortunately, not all of the lottery's winners stories are quite so heart warming. In 1995, Mark Gardiner was celebrating his £22.5million win when the completely unexpected took place. Mark's ex-wife appeared on the scene, demanding that she was entitled to half his share of the win!

Also in 1995, the Benson family also found themselves in the money, hitting the jackpot to win £20 million. As the family set off to collect their winnings, their home was burgled. The family lost jewellery with sentimental value, including a necklace purchased for their 15th wedding anniversary. Luckily, the family retrieved some of their stolen items following a public appeal on the news on TV.

Timing could have been better for quite a few lottery winners. Mr and Mrs Effering from Wales won the lottery in a syndicate at their workplace. The call centre workers banked £8.5 million pounds for each member. The 9 members of the syndicate had only begun to enter the prize draw 4 months before their win. The win was extra particular for Sam, who had lately had a tough battle with cancer. Sam had had a difficult couple of years; After a number of stressful years with his health , Sam now has a brand new lease of life.

The National Lottery is the UK's most widely accepted prize draw, giving entrants the opportunity to win millions of pounds. "When I win the lottery..." has turned into a common phrase in Great Britain. Since launching in 1994, the prize draw has made 2,400 entrants overnight millionaires.